


Every Single Day I Get To Be With Someone As Amazing As You Is Crazy To Me

by orphan_account



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Each Chapter Is A Wedding Anniversary, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:16:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25495948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Relationships: Jake Peralta & Amy Santiago, Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 8
Kudos: 81





	1. Double Date

"Oh look, Ames, it's your ex-boyfriend, Teddy."

Jake and Amy had been looking forward to this night for so long. They love their little Macadoodle. They do. They love him. They really do. A lot. They swear. But such a small, adorable fluffball should not be capable of crying so loud. And so often. They love their little Macadamia Nut. They really do. But he's with Grandma Karen tonight, hopefully fast asleep among Jake's plush turtles that Amy washed at least five times, to Jake's horror, because they probably never have been. And so tonight was just them, Jake and Amy, getting to celebrate their second year as a married couple, their sixth together.

"Amy Santiago? Is that you?"

There is no worse sound in the world than the voice of Teddy Wells. Amy's watched and heard people die in her line of work. This is worse.

Jake and Amy try to hide, scurry in behind another couple. Surely, Teddy fantasizes about her enough that he's mistaken people for her before. Maybe they can get away with it.

"Oh my god, it is you. Sweetheart, come meet Jake and Amy," ushering someone whom Jake and Amy presume to be his wife along.

"Hi there, Stephanie Ramos, nice to meet you both. How do you know Teddy?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—," Amy looks at Jake for help. Does she know? Surely Teddy's told her this is the woman he proposes to every chance he gets. Wait, of course he hasn't. They're still together. She takes a look at their hands to confirm the wedding bands. Yep, still hitched. Maybe they're staying together for the kids?

"She and Jake are old friends of mine. We've worked together a few times. Defused a bomb together once."

Amy nods vigorously. Jake has to stop her before Stephanie notices how fake it looks.

"So, what are ya'll doing here," Jake asks.

"It's our wedding anniversary today! Thought we'd celebrate with a nice dinner and some Pilsners. Oh, sorry, I should explain. My hubby loves Pilsners," Stephanie says.

"I see," Jake says. "Your anniversary is May 15th?" He shouldn't be surprised. He really shouldn't. Teddy is determined to recreate Jake's life with Amy as much as he can, without Amy, of course.

"It is! Isn't it a great day to get married?"

Stephanie looks at Teddy with such affection. Please, Jake hopes somehow Teddy has moved on. Nobody deserves to be anyone's second choice.

"It is, it's just funny, today's our anniversary as well," Jake says.

Amy wraps her arm around Jake's waist. It looks all loving, but she is digging her nails so deep into his back he's scared she might paralyze him. He doesn't need to look at her face to guess at what she's thinking. He's thinking it too. You dimwitted, idiotic, sack of shit. You fell right into his trap.

"That's wonderful," Teddy says. "Waiter, please, table for four. It's a special night."

******************************************

Jake and Amy had to admit—Stephanie was a catch. For Teddy, anyway. She was pretty (although Jake will of course deny thinking any such thing) and well-read. So, Amy. But she genuinely (and Jake had learned to tell when a girl is faking interest) seemed interested in how to make Pilsners, and she seemed excited to move with Teddy and little Mackenzie to San Diego. (They waited a while to post anything about Mac's name online, and had stolen Charles' social media accounts to make sure he wouldn't, so they have no idea how Teddy found out their son's name. Maybe they changed it later when Jake finally posted about his sweet little Mr. Mac online. Who knows?)

This was Teddy's perfect girl. But Jake and Amy were sweating the entire night, looking for how Teddy might ruin things. Should Amy drink this wine? Is there a ring at the bottom? Would he just take the ring off Stephanie's finger and offer it to her? It took them a few seconds to answer every question Teddy and Stephanie asked, to make sure they didn't give Teddy a good segue into proposing. 

"How did the two of you meet," Stephanie asked. 

"Oh, you know, people sometimes meet each other at work and find they are great together," Amy says with loving eyes at Jake. "But, of course, just happening to be close to someone doesn't mean you should make a move. It's just physical proximity, at the end of the day," she says, hoping Teddy gets the hint. 

"How did you know he was the one?"

That one was easy. "He makes me laugh," Amy says. 

"And she makes me want to be a better person," Jake says. He's gotten better at answering that question, no longer jabbering on about her physique. That's for later. Shit. Amy makes Teddy want to be a better person too. Or at least less boring. "But, I mean, anyone could do that. You should always want to be a better person," Jake backtracks quickly. 

"How did you propose?"

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Okay, Jake's got this. He thinks. "Oh, well, we have an annual heist at our precinct. We all compete to win a giant belt that says Amazing Detective/Genius, and that year I switched the belt out with one asking Amy to marry me. And she said yes," kissing her hand on impulse. Amy's not hugely into PDA, but she loves it when Jake does it. He's always so flustered, as if they hadn't been together six years. 

"It was incredible. I spent so much time planning this. Like, I was in prison and this is what I was doing. I had to plan every intricate detail....."

"Babe, babe, I'm sure she doesn't want to hear every detail about your proposal." Amy loves how excited he gets. She hides it, but hearing about it makes her excited too. But best not to give Teddy any ideas about romance right now. 

"Fair enough, babe," Jake says as he laughs and takes a sip of his water. "What about you? How did Teddy propose?" Jake asks. He regrets it immediately. He got so worked up talking about his proposal that he forgot that this was NOT a normal double date. Amy's going to kill him. Like, not sexy, "you have no idea how much trouble you're in" killing him. Killing him dead. He hopes she finds someone good to replace him, to be a good father to Mac. (That's not true. He better be at least five times worse than him. Jake fully intends to cast his jealousy from the grave). 

"Well, I was planning on a big gesture. But I was making pancakes one morning. The most exciting of breakfast foods, you know." (Jake and Amy kept their sighs internal). "And I thought, why do proposals need to be grand gestures. They should be intimate, and so I put the ring inside the pancake. And we sat in bed eating, and when she found it, I asked her to marry me. I just wanted her to know I loved her."

That was actually really sweet, Amy thought. Maybe she should let her guard down a little. Maybe Teddy really does love this woman. The nightmare is finally over. 

"Are you okay, Amy?" Stephanie asked. 

She had been nervously drinking so much water that she was fidgeting in her chair. 

"I just think I have to go to the bathroom," Amy says.

"I'll come with," Stephanie says. "I have to freshen up anyways."

*********************************************

"Hey, Amy, I'm really sorry Teddy put you in this position," Stephanie says in the bathroom. 

"What do you mean?" Amy asked

"I know you and Teddy used to date. He told me. He shouldn't have intruded upon your anniversary like that. It's clear the two of you are trying to keep things afloat."

"Keep things afloat?"

"I mean, sometimes couples going through a rough patch need a grand anniversary dinner to set things right. A romantic milestone to pretend that they don't have problems."

"Oh," Amy laughs. "Oh, no, nothing like that. We're doing great, actually."

"Amy, I don't mean any disrespect. I know not everybody's as lucky as Teddy and me. Come on, the snide comments the two of you made after talking about why you loved each other, not wanting to talk about the proposal? I get it. You feel as if maybe the love's gone. And god knows, now, you must be comparing Jake to Teddy and wondering if you made a wrong choice way back when."

"Uh........................."

"Look, I just wanted to say, I really hope you guys make it. I know not everyone can live up to Teddy. He's such a wonderful man and," Stephanie leans in closer with a twinkle in her eye, "girl talk, we both know what he has going on down there, but I'm sure Jake's amazing too."

Amy really, truly didn't know what to say to that. Stephanie had been so suckered into thinking Teddy was the bigger man that she really didn't know that he had literally proposed to her while trying to get a stroller for his pregnant wife. (I mean, he is the bigger man, but Amy squelches that thought immediately. She has forcefully deleted from her memory any reminder that she once let Teddy Wells see her naked, and she isn't about to let those memories come back).

"Let's just get through the rest of the day, and I'll tell him I want to go back home. We'll leave the two of you to your night."

Amy wants to correct the record, because she is angry that Teddy gets to lie to this amazing woman. "First of all, Stephanie, bigger doesn't mean better. And we both know he doesn't know what to do with it, or what a mouth's good for. And, god, never once was I genuinely excited to have sex with him. Like, never. Second, what is that mesh underwear? I never figured it out. Third, your husband's literally patterned your life off of my life, because he's a pathetic, sad sack who loves someone who would rather forget he exists."

Amy does not say any of that. She nods her head and they had walk back to the table. 

*********************************

Teddy's already on one knee back at the table. 

"Are you looking for something, babe?" Stephanie asks?

Amy looks at Jake, as if to ask why he didn't stop him. Jake just shrugs his shoulders, as if to say, let's just get this over with so we can get on with our day. Next anniversary we'll spend it in a remote cabin somewhere. He can't find us there. 

"Amy Santiago-Peralta," Teddy starts, with the gall to use her hyphenated, MARRIED, name. "You are the love of my life. You are the best person I have ever met. You are the only person I would ever want to spend my life with, to raise my children with. You are my soulmate. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy. Amy Santiago-Peralta," again using her MARRIED name, "will you marry me?"

"Can we go now?" Amy asks Jake. 

"Sure thing, babe. The Uber's already here."

Amy and Jake lock arms as they power walk out of the restaurant, leaving behind a heartbroken Stephanie in their wake. (She'll recover. It's Teddy, after all. That heartbreak won't last long). 


	2. 397 Barton Street

"What about Kevin and Captain Holt?," Jake asked.

"No babe, remember, they're out of town on that conference on policing in modern-day literature," Amy replied. 

"Ugh. Another reason nobody should ever read. Alright, what about Charles and Genevieve? You know Charles loves teaching Mac how to cook on that little play stove he bought for him," Jake asks. He actually thinks this has a good shot of saving the day. 

Mac is curled up on his favorite plush brown bear—his name, Mr. Fluppy—in the middle of the living room, surrounded by a veritable moat of other stuffed animals. Monkeys, turtles, sharks. If there's a plush animal out there, Mac wants it and Mac will get it. Unfortunately, his babysitter tonight cancelled at the last minute—something about a Taylor Swift concert. This puts a severe dent on Jake and Amy's plans to celebrate their third wedding anniversary tonight. (To be honest, Jake understands the babysitter's decision. He might have postponed the anniversary too, if he were allowed to go to a Taylor Swift concert). 

Amy had planned it beautifully. She had packed a beautiful picnic basket—egg salad, some desserts, pierogis, and even some room-temperature pizza for Jake. They were going to go to the park and have a romantic midnight picnic with their own unique food stylings. 

"Charles says no," Amy said. "Nikolaj is sick and Genevieve is out of town."

"Did you try telling him we'd get divorced if he didn't take Mac off our hands?"

Mac lets out a muffled cry (groan?). Jake looks over and his face is all puffed up, as angry as a one-year old can be. He doesn't know what his daddy's talking about, but he doesn't like the word divorce. Nor should he. Amy just shakes her head at Jake. 

"No, babe, I did not tell Charles we were getting a divorce. Do you want a divorce?"

"Let's change the conversation," Jake says. He walks over and gives her a peck on the cheek. "I love you so much." 

"What about Terry," Jake asks, "or Gina?" 

"Babe, come on, you're getting desperate. Terry has refused to babysit Mac ever since, you know, the incident. And Gina's too busy with work. I don't want to hand Mac off to her babysitter. I haven't met him!"

"Alright, fine, maybe we just take Mac with us. It's not too hot or cold outside. We can just put him in his car seat and he'll go off to sleep."

"You really want to have our child with us on our anniversary?"

"Why not? We love him too. He's a product of our love. Besides, I know it doesn't really matter when we celebrate our anniversary, but I kind of like the idea of celebrating it on the right day, you know?"

Amy smiles. Jake knows he's onto something. He's wearing down her better judgment. By now, he's a master at that. 

"What do you say, Mac? You want to join mommy and daddy on our anniversary," Jake asks in a playful voice. Mac is basically asleep on Mr. Fluppy, so he doesn't really respond. 

"See, babe, Mac said yes!"

"Mac didn't say anything!"

"Yeah, but I'm his dad. I can read his mind. Trust me, it'll be fun. Think of the family photos we'll make. We'll set up the camera. Mac will look so peaceful. You know how peaceful he looks when he's asleep."

Amy sighs and shrugs, letting out a soft laugh. Operation: Wear Down Amy is complete. 

"Alright, fine, let's do it."

*********************************************

Jake and Amy don't really want to take their car or call a cab—all of them will probably smell like cigar smoke by now, and parking in New York is, well, parking in New York. The park isn't too far from where they live, so they decide to take a little stroll. Mac is securely tucked into his stroller and is asleep. They rock it a little big when he gurgles to make sure he stays asleep. Mac always likes then his parents rock him. He doesn't like to be too still for too long. But they put in a small blanket to keep him cozy, and he has his plush cow Manunu, so he should be all set.

Once they get to the park, Amy laughs and points to the tree. "Remember this, babe? We had our second kiss here."

"I remember. You violently pushed me against a tree."

"Violently seems like an exaggeration. I gently and lovingly pushed you against a tree."

"Oh now, I didn't mind. Being violently pushed against a tree by a beautiful woman. What more could anyone want in life?"

Amy just sighs and laughs. "Whatever gets you going, babe."

"What, it didn't get you going?"

She chuckles. "Maybe a little."

Amy starts setting down the basket, but Jake stops her. "Actually, babe, hear me out, indulge me for a second." 

"Babe. It's midnight. I've been indulging you for six years. Can't we just have our picnic?"

"Nope!" Jake picks up the basket and starts off with the stroller. Amy has to run a little to catch up and hook his arms. "Slow down! You'll wake him up!"

Jake slows down a beat, but they're basically where he wanted to be. Two blocks later, they're where he wants them to be. 

**************************************

397 Barton Street. 

"Why don't we have a picnic on top of the roof," Jake asks? "You know they're tearing down this building soon, it'll be kind of nice to walk down memory lane up there. Celebrate the moment you first fell in love with me."

Amy just looks at him. It's kind of a game to her. To look at him when he says something dumb and see how long it'll take him to backtrack. Sometimes he does it immediately. Other times he waits until she beings to speak, not wanting to dig himself in any deeper. She loves how much he's still afraid of him. (She feels kind of guilty about that, but she knows Jake doesn't actually think she'd hurt him. Not in a way he doesn't like, anyway). 

"Fine, the moment I fell in love with you after seven years of suppressing all my feelings for you."

Amy giggles. "I fell in love with you a little too."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah. I mean, to be clear, nowhere near as much as you fell for me. But I liked knowing you had turned down the relief team for me. Kind of wanted you to get your act together and ask me out."

"What? You never hinted that!"

"I'm sorry. I could not have been more clear." She flashbacks to the two of them standing in a dumpster, looking for a receipt. "Why do you care so much if I leave," she keeps needling him. She knew he was into her, she just needed him to admit it. Maybe then they could get somewhere. She liked him. Just like she liked him when he told her he wanted something between them, and when they went to that hotel with Teddy and Sophia. Just wasn't ready to admit it quite yet.

"I see. And then you ended up dating....Teddy."

"Yeah, well, if only _someone_ had asked me out, I wouldn't have had to gone through that, would I?"

"What, only a man can ask out the woman? That's not very feminist. I put that on you. You could have asked me out!"

Amy bites her lip. He does have a point. Thankfully, Mac starts to stir a little, so she gets to escape by playing with his feet a little and rocking him so he goes back to sleep. 

"So, what do you say? Memory lane?"

"Alright, screw it, let's do it," she says, mentally preparing herself for the long walk upstairs. She didn't expect an anniversary picnic to involve cardio. But when does any date with Jake go _exactly_ as planned. 

*********************************

"Hey babe," Jake says softly. 

"Yeah.......," Amy trails off a little bit. She has her head resting on Jake's shoulder, and she's immersed in the view. Jake made a good call. This felt incredibly romantic, looking out at the skyline of New York, just the two of them. 

"You bought all this food from restaurants, didn't you?"

"Excuse me!" Amy lifts her head out and musters the angriest voice she can. "Are you calling me a bad cook?"

This time Jake isn't fazed. "Babe, we're both bad cooks. It's a miracle we've survived this long."

Amy chuckles. "Yeah, I made the rounds and microwaved everything before putting it in the basket."

"So you're telling me this pizza isn't really room temperature?"

"No, because, and I say this with all the love in the world, room-temperature pizza is the stupidest thing anyone has ever eaten."

Jake sighs. He just hopes that one day he'll be able to convince Amy to see the error of her ways. Charles too. He'll show them. Jake wiggles Mac's foot a little. "You agree with daddy, right? Room-temperature pizza is the best." Mac lets out a sleep gurgle, which Jake takes as agreement. Mac always agrees with daddy (in Jake's mind, anyway). 

Amy leans her head back on Jake's shoulders and smiles. They trade memories, jostling over who was "more in love" with each other. Jake points out that Amy said "I love you" first, which clearly means she does. Amy retorts, "babe, you clearly loved me first, but you never would have admitted it without someone to prompt you. You were _so much_ more jealous of me with Teddy than I was when you were with Sophia. And Dave? Really, you tried to break into a bar, you silly goose." 

Amy feels kind of bad about that last one. It's not like she did anything wrong, dating Teddy when she knew Jake liked her, but she knows it must have been painful for him. She disliked when he was with Sophia too, although she's better at shutting jealousy out than he is. And she's sure he doesn't like knowing she's attracted to Dave. When she worked a case with him a few months back, Jake struggled in vain to hide his jealousy. She had to remind him that true love is more important than a crush. She's not saying she hasn't fantasized about what a night or two might be like, but when you're with your soulmate you don't spend much time fantasizing. You know the alternate life you could lead means giving up what you have, and what she has is an amazing detective, husband, and father. 

She gives him a peck on the cheek to compensate.

Jake stumbles, realizing she has the upper hand, but comes back, "which one of us felt she needed to add _so much_ to her ILYs, or wasted an entire day on this very rooftop because she was scared about our relationship, Was that me? Or was that you?"

"Can you blame me for being concerned? You told me that you'd forget who I was if we stopped working together. You and your stupid memory of a goldfish"

Sirens start blaring a few blocks down. Some drunken patron probably tried to open the wrong car or something. Hopefully the car alarm will remind him to take a damn cab. Whatever it was, it gets Mac's attention. He starts crying, so Amy and Jake have to table their debate. 

Jake and Amy have different approaches to calming Mac down. Amy prefers to rock him and give him small kisses on the forehead until he feels comforted. Jake likes to talk to him, about anything really. Mac likes the sound of his daddy's voice. 

"You know where we are, Mr. Mac? This is where I first fell in love with your mommy," he says with a twinkle in his eye looking at Amy. He'll concede he fell in love with her first. "We weren't together yet, but I realized that this was the most amazing woman in the world. Truth is, I never thought I'd ever have a chance to be with someone as amazing as her. But then we did, and now we have you. Isn't that amazing? I think that's pretty amazing."

Mac gurgles in approval. He likes hearing about mommy and daddy's love story. Amy decides to weigh in, wiggling Mac's ears.

"You wanna know something Macadoodle? I think it took me a little while to realize how much I loved your daddy. I always knew he was an amazing guy, but it took me a while to admit to myself he was more than a friend. But I don't really care who fell for each other first. All I care about is now that he's the love of my life, and that I'm his. And that neither of us would want to spend the rest of our lives with anyone else in this world."

Amy looks at Jake, love glistening in her eyes. That isn't something she said to soothe Mac. This is their anniversary after all. She can imagine traits she'd like in other men, but Jake's the man of her dreams. And the love of her life. She couldn't imagine building what they've built with anyone else. And she knows he feels the same. She leans in for a long kiss. 

"I love you," she says.

"I love you too," he says back.

Together, they watch the night pass with Mac back to sleep between them. It felt so idyllic. So perfect. Just the three of them. 


	3. Binders

"Hey, babe, mind if we stop by the library first? I need to drop off something off before we head to the restaurant."

Amy knows she must be dreaming now. She's not an avid dreamer, so usually the demarcation between dreams and reality is subtle. Her dreams are often similar—a day of work, a day of playing with Mac. But at least Jake would be shirtless or something. Maybe he'd pull out his Holt impression. He's very good at it, but he's really bought into the whole "Holt being his father" thing so he's since retired it. Or perhaps they'd actually have sex; when you have a two-year old, that basically only happens in a dream. It's truly incredible; a small human being can actually take up so much of one's time that Jake and Amy dream of having sex with their _spouses_. That shit's insane. 

Anyways, Amy knows she's dreaming now. Jake wants to drop something off at the library. I mean, it might very well just be a children's book for Mac. But he usually sticks to making up his own stories, and even if it was a book, _Jake_ really remembered a due date? She loves her husband for many things, punctuality not being one of them. 

"This is some sort of prank, isn't it? This dream's going to turn into a nightmare soon," Amy says.

"What dream?," Jake asks. 

"I'm dreaming. You want to go to the library," Amy responds. 

"That's something you'd dream about?," Jake asks quizzically. Sometimes it surprises him just how weird the love of his life can be. His dreams are much more normal. Meeting Bruce Willis. Opening a small bookstore with him on the countryside. Making lo........okay, he's realizing that they need to give Mac off to Amy's parents for a weekend. Jake and Amy need a weekend for themselves. Like, a nice, long weekend. They're taking him today so Jake and Amy can celebrate, but they really need a grand old weekend. 

"I just need to return some comic books that I borrowed. Using our joint library account," he says, leaning in for a kiss. 

"I see. Comic books for Mac?," she asks hopefully. 

"Yep!," Jake says, frantically turning around to pretend like he's doing something, as if that'll throw Amy off the scent. 

Amy just looks at him. Jake turns back—"see, now you know you're not dreaming. This is very much something I would do in real life." 

She can't help but agree. "Fine," she says, "but we'd better head out soon or else we'll be late to dinner."

*********************************************

When they arrive at the library, the first thing Amy notices is how quiet it is. This is 6 o'clock on a Thursday. That's when the party gets started at the local New York public library. All the souls looking for the comfort of a great book. Books can do so many things. They can teach you how to kiss. They can teach you how to raise your child. They can try their best to teach you how to cook without poisoning your son's uncle Terry. It should not be this quiet. 

Jake grabs Amy by the hand. 

"Wait, where's your book?," Amy asks. 

"Babe, seriously, you thought I had a book to return? I don't read. You know that."

She does know that. It doesn't make her happy. "I love you," she says. It's what she says when she needs just _a little_ reminder. Like when her paramour tried to introduce their baby's sex reveal by talking about "what's downstairs." A quick "I love you" to remind her that love isn't rational. If she had written down a list of all the traits she'd want in a man on an online dating website, Jake definitely wouldn't appear on any of the pages. And, yet, she can't imagine being with anyone else. He really just makes her laugh, and makes her enjoy her place in the world. She looks forward to making captain one day, as she always has, but she also looks forward to sharing that moment with her husband. 

Jake walks Amy into the library, and it is filled to the brim with candles and flowers, with a small table right in the middle. 

"The books will catch fire!," she says, feeling the irrepressible urge to blow out the candles one by one. 

"That's your first thought?," Jake asks.

Amy pauses a little. "Oh, I see, you did something romantic. I get it now."

Jake's only a little crestfallen, so Amy has time to regather and try again.

"I mean, oh my god, this is so romantic," she says, trying to inflect her voice just right.

"You're still worried about the books, aren't you?"

"A little? I'm sure I'll forget," Amy says. "Let's proceed with the romance."

************************************

Amy's like a child in a candy store. She never has a full library to herself. There are always other people in the aisles, blocking her vision. After their dinner—some scallion pancakes and a wonderful tiramisu—Jake set up a nice reading nook for the two of them in a back corner of the library. Candles surrounded them, and he had a virtual fireplace playing on a laptop to round out the ambience. Amy packed up all the books she could think of that she hadn't had the chance to read and brought them back with her to peruse, her head resting on her husband's chest as she tries to read them all in one night. 

Jake just lays there, pulling on Amy's ponytail and otherwise just fiddling with her hair. Sometimes he puts his arm around her waist, gently tracing her curves. Not to initiate anything—(Amy would never desecrate a library with sex)—but just because he loves feeling her body and having her near him. An hour passes. Then two. It's 9 o'clock, and Amy suddenly looks up and realizes that Jake isn't reading anything. She gets up. 

"Why are you doing this?," she asks.

"Doing what?"

"Just....sitting there, while I read. This is supposed to be _our_ fourth wedding anniversary. This isn't supposed to just be my night. We should, I don't know, get a hotel room somewhere, do something both of us will enjoy."

Jake laughs. "Babe, I'm perfectly happy right here. I wanted this to be your night. Because I love you, and every day—just being able to call you my wife, knowing that you love me—is the best day of my life. So, if our anniversary is just you enjoying your life, how you would have enjoyed it as if I wasn't here, I'm just happy that I get to be in the background."

Amy leans in for a long, passionate kiss. "I'm lucky to have found you, you know that?," she says. 

"I do," Jake says, looking into her eyes and giving her a small kiss back. "I mean, I'm lucky to have found you too. Not that I'm so perfect—"

"Jake? Shut up," Amy says, laughing.

"Yes, dear," Jake says. "Come on, it looks like that book was just getting interesting," he says, resting her head back on his chest and putting his arms back around her. 

"It was. It's a detailed biography of the history behind the creation of the modern newspaper, and we've just gotten to the 1860s. Things are getting steamy."

*****************************************************

"Next time, let me plan the anniversary," Amy says. They decided to walk back home. The 11 o'clock night was cold, but not too cold. The perfect romantic cold—wind rustling through their hairs, so they have to lean on each other for heat. "Like, seriously, I'll plan the entire thing. If I get to spend this anniversary just immersed in my own world, I want to give you the same chance."

Jake laughs. "It's okay, babe, I love doing these romantic things for you."

Amy's adamant. "No, next year's on me. You'll be in trouble if you plan anything."

Jake perks up.

"No, not sexy trouble. Trouble. Understood?" Amy puts her foot down. 

Jake's clearly not convinced, and his face betrays that he's not on board. Amy stops their walk and sits them down a bench nearby.

"Hey, what's wrong?," Amy asks.

"I don't know. It's just....Look, you're amazing. You're irreplaceable. There's nobody else in the world as smart, driven, funny, sexy, beautiful.....there's just not. And I'm not blind. There are people more attractive than me out there. Smarter people, the type of people who actually read all those books in there. The people who want to do more than just be a detective, to really change the world. And you could have any of them, but you're here with me."

"Jake......," Amy tries to cut him off.

"And, I don't know. I don't like to plan things out so far in advance, but I've planned out all our anniversaries. Today, next year, the year after, because I love doing romantic things for you, but also because sometimes I wonder if I don't give it my all everyday, why on Earth would someone like you stay with someone like me?"

"Jake....."

"And you're going to tell me that I'm wrong, that you think I'm as smart as you are, and that's why you want to spend your life with me. But, you're perfect, and....I just would prefer if I can keep planning these things for you. Is that okay?"

It's not, but Amy doesn't quite know how to put that into words. So, she says yes.

***********************************

It's 1 a.m., and Amy's still bothered by the conversation they had earlier. Jake's fast asleep, but she just can't seem to get there. She wasn't fully there when they had sex, either, and she thinks Jake noticed, although he didn't bring it up.

"Hey babe," she says, gently jostling him. Jake murmurs but doesn't stir, so she jostles him a little harder until he's awake.

"Hey, what's wrong?," he says, concerned.

"How long do you want to be married?," she asks.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how long do you want to be married?"

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," he says. 

"So do I," Amy says. "And I know that......I know that you think it's romantic, when you tell me I can do better than you and that you want to make it worth my while to be with you. But it's not romantic to me."

Jake gets up a little in bed. This feels like a sitting-up type of conversation.

"Unequal marriages don't last a lifetime. Someone feels unwanted, and they seek something from someone else, and things deteriorate. Nobody wants to feel like they're someone's second choice. So, when I tell you that there's nobody else in the world I'd rather spend the rest of my life with, to call my husband, to come home to, I need you to believe me. I need you to understand that, yeah, I can identify traits I'd like in a man that you might not have. I could ask them to have cured cancer, or have more abs. But surely relationships are more than just a sum of traits, right?"

Jake nods in agreement. Wouldn't life be so much easier if love was just the output of a mathematical formula? Once you get the fundamentals down, you'd know exactly where to look.

"I don't need you to be perfect. I don't need you to be some ideal of most perfect man to have ever existed. Love isn't love because your partner's perfect. That would be too easy—if you gave anyone the choice of a perfect person, of course they'd take it. But that's a choice that never exists, and it'd get pretty boring soon. I love you because I know you're flawed, but there isn't a flawed man in the world I'd rather spend my life with. And it's sweet that you see me as a perfect person, but if you let yourself realize it, you'd know that isn't true."

Jake feels the need to rebut that last point, so Amy has her finger on his mouth almost immediately. 

"I'm not looking for some exit door. I'm not compiling a list of people I'd rather be with. If every once in a while you aren't the perfect husband, I will still be here, because I choose to love you and I always will. Because I don't think you're the most perfect man in the world, and I'm not the most perfect woman in the world. There are people out there who are better than us—more accomplished, more attractive. But there's a connection between us that means that none of that matters. So, I'm planning the next anniversary, and if you do anything romantic I will lock you in a closet with our screaming toddler. And next time you want to prepare a romantic gesture, do it because you love me, not because you're scared of losing me. Understand?"

Jake pauses a little. "So, what do I do with the binder?"

"The binder?," Amy asks.

"Yeah, the binder where I've planned out all of our future anniversaries. I mean, I guess I can delete a few entries and renumber a few things."

Amy just looks at him. "Alright, I can't tell if you're joking right now. But I'm incredibly horny, so take your clothes off right now."

"I'm not joking! God, I laminated the numbers. It's going to be a pain to get those redone."

"Jake! Take your clothes off."


	4. The Rose

**May 20, 2022**

Jake and Amy are investigating a murder at a flower stand five blocks from the precinct. Amy diligently takes notes at the scene, examining which way the bloodied footprints of the killer point, how the victim was stabbed, whether it seemed like a crime of passion or something premeditated. Jake marvels at the variety of flowers on display: Cala Lillies, Carnations, Roses, Daisies, Orchids, Tulips.

"Would you believe how many flowers are out there in the world, babe?"

**June 17, 2022**

The entire precinct pitched in to help Holt and Kevin celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. They rented out a room in a popular art museum nearby and set up a romantic candlelight dinner in the middle. A night of fine dining, art commentary, and then whatever else the two lovebirds feel the need to do. (Jake had theories. Rosa put a sock in his mouth. Hitchcock's lucky sock. It did not feel lucky).

But Jake had contributed. He picked out the most stunning Peony to put in the vase in the middle of the table. Just stunning, as he would brag to his wife all of that night.

**July 8, 2022**

As a general rule, if you're going to show up back home with a bouquet of flowers that your wife did not send you, it's best to have an explanation ready. Jake, however, did not have an explanation for the flowers sent to their address, addressed to Jake Peralta.

"Who sent the flowers, babe?," Amy asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe I have a secret admirer," Jake responded. 

"Hmmmm. I don't think I like that. Try again," Amy countered.

"They're from my mom?," Jake said, hesitantly.

"That's your final answer?," Amy asked, staring at him judgmentally. 

(They were, in face, from Boyle. 15 years of friendship, he would later explain. Not that Amy didn't enjoy teasing him about the nonexistent "other woman" with the cold shoulder for a few days, before their astute four-year-old noticed and Jake's kisses won her back over).

**August 12, 2022**

Mac's preschool brought the families in for a "final assessment" of sorts, which was really just the teacher asking Mac questions about his family so he could show off how adorable the Peralta household really is.

"What are mommy and daddy's favorite flowers?"

"Daddy really likes the Day-Zs. He gets sad mommy won't buy him any. Mommy doesn't like flowers. Daddy says it's because she's weird."

Jake looks around sheepishly, anything to avoid eye contact with his wife. That was supposed to be a secret.

**September 19, 2022**

Mac finds his way into the laundry basket one day when Amy's out of town and snuggles against some of mommy's many floral blouses because they still smell like her. Jake posts photos on Instagram, captioned "Mac likes his mommy's flowers. I do too."

Gina responds with a winking face, and Jake has to frantically respond that this was NOT A SEXUAL POST. It was a wholesome post about his son missing Amy. Come on, Gina. 

**October 31, 2022**

Jake doesn't know where Mac got it from, because they give him the heebie-jeebies, but Mac wanted a bee costume this Halloween. After showing him off to the precinct, and using him as part of their ruse to win the heist, they take their little bee trick-o-treating. Every time he wants to move faster, he gives them both a little sting. 

"Isn't he cute, babe? He's going to pollinate all the flowers by day's end."

**November 16, 2022**

Mac's mad at Jake because he won't let Mac bring home a dog they met when taking a walk in the park, refusing to listen to Jake's flagrant attempts to blame it on Amy and her allergies. (Which, ironically, enough, are true in this situation).

They were going to a gala honoring Kevin that night, so Amy dressed Mac up in his little tuxedo and gave him a corsage. (Which, really, doesn't fit the event, but Mac liked them when mommy showed him all the baby tuxedos online).

"See, daddy, mommy gives _me_ flowers."

Jake will never forgive Mac for that. (He will, of course, when the next day Mac gives him a wet good morning kiss, having forgotten about the dog that wasn't to be).

**December 18, 2022**

Jake and Mac go secret shopping for Amy's Christmas gift. Amy was late to work one day because she didn't hear her alarm and was exhausted (see: the four-year old) so they resolve to get her a new alarm clock. She doesn't trust her phone's alarm anymore. It let her down one too many times. It self-updated during the night, and so the alarm was disabled. "How could a phone self-update in the night," she asked a sleeping Jake as she frantically tried to get her clothes on. "Technology is supposed to serve me!"

They settle on a cute little flower alarm clock in pink, mommy's favorite color. 

**January 5, 2023**

The precinct goes out for a night of karaoke. Amy's shy about her singing, having been mocked by the rest of the precinct each and every time. Jake reassures her that her voice is amazing. "Mac loves when you sing him his lullabies!" 

And then proceeds to ruin his good-husband gesture by signing them up for a duet of The Rose. A classic, and yet incredibly sophisticated, not at all easy song to sing.

_Some say love, it is a river, that drowns the tender reed  
Some say love, it is a razor, that leaves your soul to bleed  
Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need  
I say love, it is a flower, and you, its only seed_

**February 14, 2023**

Jake buys Amy a copy of Purple Hibiscus, a novel, for Valentine's day. He has no idea what it's about, but he knows the author is famous because Amy's mentioned her, and he likes the flower on the cover.

**March 6, 2023**

Jake buys Mac a Flowers ABC book to help him continue to sharpen his ABCs. It becomes his new bedtime story for a while. There's no plot, but the pictures and flower names trigger Mac's imagination. Oh to be able to fall asleep in a field full of flowers. 

**April 29, 2023**

Mac gets a little too excited running around the apartment and ends up colliding into a wall. It's okay, though. Amy ships out one of the new bandaids Jake restocked earlier in the week—nice and study with flowers on the top so Mac isn't sad when he looks at them. 

**May 15, 2023**

Jake comes home at 4 o'clock. Captain Holt let him off a little bit earlier to celebrate his fifth wedding anniversary. He heads to the bedroom to change and is surprised to see their entire bedroom has been painted over with an eclectic mix of flowers—roses, lilies, orchids, the stray daffodil. It's beautiful, and Jake tears up a little. 

He turns around, and Amy's on one knee.

"Jake Peralta, I have suffered your hints for about a year now. Will you accept this flower from me, and never speak about it ever again?," Amy says, holding up a single rose.

"I absolutely do," he responds. 

He takes the flower and scoops up his wife with the other hand, planting a massive kiss on her. "This is the best anniversary gift a man could ever ask for," he says, kissing her again. Amy says she's glad he likes it, promising him another present that night once Mac's asleep. She goes to the bedroom to get changed.

Jake's standing in the living room, exhilarated. He finally got the flower from his wife. It's everything he's ever wanted in this world.

He doesn't know what to do with it now. 


End file.
